Friday, September 23, 2016

It has been two years
since Erin, John Baxter’s daughter, husband and three of their four daughters
were killed in a car accident.

Erin was an organ
donner. Her heart was given to Kendra Bryant, an Atheist. John, against the wishes his children, Ashley
and Luke, invites Kendra to spend Christmas Eve dinner with them because he is
missing Erin. Ashley wants to protect
ten year old Amy, the only survivor.
John feels it is what Erin would want and Amy secretly wants to hear her
mother’s heart beat again.

Kendra Bryant is
struggling with the need to find understanding in why someone else had to die
in order for her to live. She believes
spending Christmas Eve with the Baxters will help her heal and bring happiness
back to her life, but her husband is less than willing to attend the
dinner. Will the Baxter’s unwavering
faith in God restore peace to the family and will Kendra find the peace she so
desperately longs for? Will her
husband make the decision to attend with her?
Will Ashley and Luke put aside their feelings for their father’s
sake? Those questions will be answered
as you turn the pages of “A Baxter Family Christmas”.

My Review:

What
an emotional storyline! Everytime I read
a book by Karen Kingsbury I determine it is the best one yet, however this
truly is the best one yet!

As
I turned the pages my heart connected with each member of the Baxter
Family. Their struggles were heartfelt
and real. MS Kingsbury showed how our
desire to serve God is sometimes overshadowed by the inability to get beyond
the events in our lives, yet she also shows once you let God have control how
it eases the struggle and you can truly find peace. You may, like me, find yourself crying when
Amy secretly wants to hear her mother’s heart beat one more time and the peace
she finds in knowing the woman who has her mother’s heart will never be her
mother, but will always have a part of her mother. For a young person that was a pretty profound
understanding. She also helps us to
understand how our lives influence the lives of other, even when we don’t
realize it. This is a book that will
stay with me long after I have read the last page.

If
you are a fan of Karen Kingsbury and love inspirational books this is
absolutely a must-read!

Disclosure:I was given a copy of
this eBook by the publisher, Howard Books through Net
Galley,
blogger review program, for an honest review. I was not required to
write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in
this review are my own.

Thursday, September 22, 2016

Proper English
governess Eleanor Morgan flees to the colonies to escape the wrath of a brute
of an employer. When the Charles Town family she's to work for never arrives to
collect her from the dock, she is forced to settle for the only reputable
choice remaining to her—marriage to a man she's never met. Trapper and tracker
Samuel Heath is a hardened survivor used to getting his own way by brain or by
brawn, and he's determined to find a mother for his young daughter. But finding
a wife proves to be impossible. No upstanding woman wants to marry a murderer.

My Review:

Although this is my
first reading of work by Michelle Griep, I assure you it will not be my
last. What a compelling story! I was hooked from page one and kept on the
edge of my seat until the last page was read.
I read it in one setting. I just
couldn’t put it down.

The characters were
so real you immediately became caught up in the story. It was easy to sympathize with both Eleanor
and Samuel. Eleanor had to leave England
and when her would-be employer was a no show, she had no choice but to marry a
complete stranger so she could care for his daughter and have a home for
herself. Samuel is very protective of
Grace and will do anything to insure she is well cared for. He is haunted by his past and finds it easier
to live away from civilization as much as possible. As they struggle with the journey set before
them, they find the courage to love and
rebuild their lives.

MS. Griep’s
descriptions are so real you can feel the despair, smell the unwashed bodies in
the ship’s hold, and yet experience love and compassion at the same time. It is a beautifully written story. This book is well worth reading as it will
leave you with a renewed spirit.

Disclosure:I was given a copy of
this eBook by the publisher, Barbour Publishing, Inc. through Net
Galley,
blogger review program, for an honest review. I was not required to
write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in
this review are my own.

“Just a Kiss” is a beautifully
written captivating book by Denise Hunter.
MS Hunter brings home the reality of dealing with PTSD and being an
amputee. Riley doesn’t believe his life
will be worth much when he returns home and he knows his chances of winning
Paige’s (whom he has secretly loved for a long time) love will never
happen. In his mind who would want an
amputee?

I was hooked from the
first page. The characters and storyline
are real-life and completely believable.
Hunter does a great job portraying PTSD episodes without it dominating
the storyline. I would classify this
book as an easy read, yet it is filled with thought-provoking scenarios as
Riley and Paige deal with some life-changing events.

Although this is the
third in the series, it can easily be a stand-alone book. I didn’t have any problem identifying with
the characters and I have not read the others in the series, however since I
enjoyed this book so much, I will now go back and read them. I read this in one afternoon as I couldn’t
put it down.

Disclosure:I was given a copy of
this Book by the publisher, Thomas Nelson, Net Galley, blogger review
program, for an honest review. I was not required to write a
favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in this
review are my own.

Abigail Schrock left
Birch Creek to go to Middlefield to take care of her younger sister, Joanna,
who was hurt in the accident that also took the lives of her parents. Although she had not heard from her
boyfriend, Joel Zook while she was gone, she knew in her heart when he asked
her to stop by his house, that he was going to ask her to marry him. Instead he told her their relationship was
over. He found someone else. In her despair she couldn’t help but wonder
if she had been prettier or hadn’t gained those extra pounds while taking care
of her sister, if Joel would have still loved her.

Asa Bontrager, an
Amish ladies-man, was shocked when he felt God tell him to give up everything in
Shipshewana and return to Birch Creek to pursue Abigail. Yet Abigail was having no part of Asa
Bontrager.

If you are a fan of
Amish novels, this is a must-read. It is
filled with peace, love, and a renewing of faith. Abigail finds herself unwilling to stop
running from the past and let the future happen because she still wants Joel
and not Asa, however God has other plans for both of them. You will find yourself crying with her as she
faces the heartbreak and loss of those she has loved and you will experience
the joy as she learns to once again let God have first place in her life. I highly recommend this book!

Disclosure:I was given a copy of
this Book by the publisher, Thomas Nelson,
BookLook
Bloggers,
blogger review program, for an honest review. I was not required to
write a favorable review nor was I compensated for my review. The opinions in
this review are my own.

Although
Clara and Adolph Vesper had been married twelve years, it was a loveless marriage.
In spite of their arranged marriage it was a shock to learn her husband had
been murdered. According to her brother
in law, Otto, she and the children were left penniless. In her state of shock, she didn’t consider he
might not be telling her the truth, because she had designed sapphire jewelry
for her husband’s company that netted them a fortune. Suddenly things are happening that doesn’t
add up and she begins to fear for her children, so with plans unknown to her
family, Clara and her twin children, Hunter and Maddy flea to Montana to her
Aunt and Uncle’s farm.

Any book by
Tracie Peterson in my opinion is a must read.
“A Love Transformed” will keep you turning the pages and on the edge of
your seat as Clara’s story unfolds. You
will be right there with her when she reunites with the one man she truly loved,
Curtis Billingham and the fear of losing her children becomes all too
real. Her fight for understanding and
peace will leave you in tears. Clara and
Curtis’ struggle to let go of the past and let God have first place in their
lives will renew your faith. If you are
a fan of Tracie Peterson, this is a book you won’t want to miss. It is filled with forgiveness, love, peace
and second chances. I highly recommend
this book.

Disclosure:I was given a copy of
this Book by the publisher,Bethany House for an honest
review. I was not required to write a favorable review nor was I
compensated for my review. The opinions in this review are my own.